COVID-19 forces some U.S. schools to close, as new cases remain high in most states

Almost as quickly as they welcomed students back, some U.S. schools are closing again due to outbreaks of COVID-19, the latest challenge as the nation tries to reopen while the level of new cases per day remains high in most states.

Schools in the United States are set to reopen for the start of the academic year either this month or early September. Some - particularly in urban centers - have opted for online-only learning, while others have chosen in-person learning, or a hybrid of the two.

But outbreaks or staffing shortages have forced some schools to halt in-person learning already.

A third high school in Georgia’s Cherokee County has closed for in-person classes, the county’s school district said, citing an increase in the number of positive cases at Creekview High School to 25, with nearly a third of students under quarantine.

“As we have said since we announced our reopening, we will not hesitate to quarantine students and close classrooms in an effort to continue operating school in-person for as long as possible,” the district said in a statement on Sunday, postponing the planned start to in-person classes from Monday to Aug. 31.